


barking mad

by Anonymous



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: A Friendly Amount of British Slang, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety, Dogs, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Getting Together, Humor, Idiots in Love, Jaemin in a Crop Top, M/M, Metaphysically Sharing a Bed, Minor Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Mutual Pining, Tarot, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, dog sitting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23894827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: “I’m not scared of dogs."“No,” Donghyuck agrees, chronically unhelpful. “But you hate them. And now you’re looking after a house of nine of them for Jaemin — who coincidentally is the guy you’ve been crushing on for about five months. Or maybe that’s not a coincidence.”Jeno says nothing.Donghyuck clicks his tongue. "Jeno we really need to get you better flirting techniques."Jeno would do anything for Jaemin. Therein lies the problem. Or it wouldn’t be a problem if Jeno actually ever managed to use his brain but an occurrence like that has happened precisely never so, he’s in a bit of a situation. As always.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun & Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Lee Jeno & Mark Lee & Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Lee Jeno, Lee Jeno & Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 23
Kudos: 155
Collections: Anonymous, nono birthday bash





	barking mad

**Author's Note:**

  * For [illay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/illay/gifts).



> for eda! thank you for your lovely prompt ~ i hope this does it justice
> 
> thank you mandy and hui for running this exchange ~ as well as jess for being an excellent reporter! all three of you are superb
> 
> originally this was meant to be 2k

Jaemin announces his presence by throwing himself across Jeno’s lap. Jeno, halfway through reading a news article about given names in Alaska, a topic that would be interesting if the writer actually knew what they were talking about, looks away slowly. Jaemin’s dumped his backpack against a bookshelf, metres away from the table Jeno’s sat at and is currently twisting his hands through the front of Jeno’s jacket, wringing the fabric between his fingers.

Jeno puts his highlighter down and places his hand on Jaemin’s shoulder instead. “What’s up?”

Jaemin lets out an incoherent mumble, the words eaten up by Jeno’s jacket before he even gets a chance to hear them. Jeno sighs, sitting up straighter and stretches his back out, cracking it loudly. Very loudly.

Jaemin shoots up, startled. “I hate it when you do that.”

Jeno beams, “I know.” He moves his hand from Jaemin’s shoulder to tidy Jaemin’s sweat-styled hair. Jaemin pulls a face at Jaemin’s ministrations but doesn’t move away, letting Jeno comb and shape it how he likes.

“So,” Jeno says, now satisfied that Jaemin’s fringe isn’t stuck at a ninety-degree angle. For extra measure he adjusts Jeno’s collar too, pulling the seams of his jumper back into place. “Are you okay?”

“I am okay,” Jaemin reassures. His eyes flicker slightly, a tell-tale giveaway and Jeno pounces on it.

“Will you be okay?”

“Uh,” Jaemin pauses in thought. “Emotionally yes.”

Getting information from Jaemin is not as hard as drawing blood from a stone but it’s easily considerable a close second. Jaemin has the gift of the gab, Jeno’s mum would say, and he never, ever stops talking about things that aren’t himself. For more personal matters, however, he keeps his cards to his chest, especially when he knows Jeno will be upset at them. “Emotionally?”

Jaemin squirms, rolling the cuffs of his jumper up. It’s light purple and floral, a gift from their friend Mark and Jaemin looks unfairly handsome in it, with a dark burnt orange jacket thrown over the top and ripped dirty blue jeans. Fashion is not Jaemin’s strong point, not when it comes to himself at least, but he’s been rooming with Dejun for the last year and managed to pick some tricks up, including how to dress like the cast of Scooby Doo and make it look good. Iconic behaviour, truly.

Not that Jaemin could ever really look bad in anything. Woe is Jeno and the unfailing attraction he has towards Jaemin because really, even in his adidas jeggings and gilet phase (items Jeno hates with a vengeance when they are individual, let alone paired together) he still managed to look good. Or maybe Jeno’s just always been incredibly biased.

“I have agreed to help my aunt with something. And I didn’t really think it through, but it will be fine, it’s nothing bad I just need to work some things out and—”

“—You’re doing a great job at ignoring my question,” Jeno rolls his eyes but is too amused by Jaemin’s unfairly endearing rambling to be properly exasperated. It’s a thin line but one Jaemin always manages to skirt it completely. Jeno knows he’s too soft on him. “What are you actually doing?”

Jaemin pauses, pushing his hair off his forehead. His face is frozen, eyes carefully looking at a spot above Jeno’s head. “It might be better to show you.”

“A house? You’ve stolen a house — you’re robbing a house? What?”

Showing Jeno was a procedure that had to wait after Jeno’s last lecture of the day. As a reward for surviving the most boring talk on naming systems in Micronesia Jaemin takes him on a bus to the other side of town. It’s a quick walk from the bus stop to their apparent destination — a house.

Jaemin chuckles slightly, eyelashes kissing his cheeks as his eyes crinkle and rubs his nose, jacket pulled down over his hand. “How could I steal a whole house? I’m not robbing it either.”

“What?” Jeno repeats, raising the pitch to one he knows Jaemin finds uncomfortable. It started off as an imitation of Mark, years ago, but has grown into something more. Something that was forced to grow, really, seeing as Mark never seemed to understand that it was supposed to be a parody of him. By the time Jeno realised that Mark laughed because he just found it funny, not because he actually understood the insult, it was too late and saying what with a loud, high pitched voice had just become part of Jeno’s lexical repertoire.

Jaemin winces, as Jeno knew he would. “Jen — just wait.”

Jeno looks up at the house — soft brick with green painted windows and a front garden bursting with flowers that look expensive from a distance but Jeno recognises as mostly dandelions and weeds as they approach. The gate is rusting, white paint chipping off, but it doesn’t look dirty, just artfully laissez faire — if one could ever consider laissez faire a term for an artfully abandoned aesthetic. Jeno learns the terms from Donghyuck, and his major in economic politics, that doesn’t mean he knows how to use them.

“You have a key?” Jeno squawks as Jaemin pulls a thick bunch of keys from his pocket. “I know this isn’t your house.”

“I told you,” Jaemin fumbles with the bunch, frowning as the most of his concentration is taken up trying to successfully unlock the door. “I’m helping my aunt.”

Jaemin makes a noise of triumph as the door swings open. Jeno looks at the doormat, and then at the dog staring of them. “Jaemin,” he starts, as the dog on the doormat is joined by another, two pairs of brown eyes critically glaring them down.

Jaemin pulls him inside with a hush.

The house is decorated just as Jeno would have suspected from the outside, flowery curtains and wooden counters and open dishes full of strange trinkets and things. And dogs. There are a startling number of dogs watching them, yellow and green and blue eyes all tracking Jeno’s every move.

Jaemin does not seem bothered. Jeno, however, stiffens, pulling himself behind Jaemin so he can hide himself against Jeno’s shoulder.

“Jeno?” His bodyguard asks carefully. “You know they’re not going to hurt you, right?”

“I’m not scared of them,” Jeno replies primly, kicking his shoes off and then, bending down to straighten them against the wall neatly because, no matter how satisfying it is to kick your shoes off carelessly, Jeno’s actually quite a careful person. This isn’t his house to be making a mess in. Jaemin copies, lining his sneakers next Jeno’s battered converse.

Jaemin leads them down a corridor, unsurprised by the sheer hoard of dogs but taking no notice of them save that. Jaemin clicks his tongue in delight, calling them after him. Jeno elbows him crossly. “Don’t do that.”

“Do you want a drink?” Jaemin asks as they enter what is clearly distinguishable as a kitchen. Unless this house has two kitchens. Jeno is still learning a lot about America.

“Coffee?” Jeno asks hopefully before frowning because — he is not that easily distracted, okay. “Wait, firstly you have to explain to me whose house we’re in and why we’re here and—” he breaks off, swinging his legs up to his chest, out the way of a dog sat under the stool he’s on. “—why there are so many dogs.”

“You’re on a coffee ban,” Jaemin ignores Jeno’s request, filling two mugs with teabags instead. He’s facing away at Jeno, busy at the counter and somehow, he knows where everything is. “The house belongs to my aunt. It’s my aunt’s house.”

“You’re one to talk about coffee bans. Besides that’s not telling me what you mean — why are we here?” Jeno narrows his eyes. Blood from a stone.

Jaemin fills the kettle, flushing slightly. “I — maybe agreed to look after her house for the week?”

“And by house you mean dogs,” Jeno clarifies, turning his head over the room because Jaemin would never look after a house for any other reason. “This is a lot of dogs Minnie.”

Jaemin nods but he doesn’t look as happy as Jeno would have expected him to when faced with his greatest dream. Slowly, Jeno looks over the room again. It’s white and cosy, clean counter tops contrasted by the heap of dog dishes lined against the wall. Then, Jeno looks at Jaemin. Jaemin whose eyes are suspiciously glassy. Jeno hesitates, “you’re allergic to dogs.”

“I love them,” Jaemin replies staunchly, bravely ignoring the thickness in his throat and the snot threatening to stream down his face. Or maybe he’s not aware of it. Jeno is far too aware. He watches Jaemin’s nose drip with a kind of morbid fascination. “I love them.”

“And this is why you’re looking after a house of them for a week.” Jeno takes a deep breath. He’s had a thought. “Have you got your meds?”

Jaemin looks shifty. Bingo, Jeno’s got it. “No.”

“Jaemin!”

“And I can’t get any till Monday,” Jaemin continues, voice plaintive. He’s focusing on filling the kettle, pulling a jar of sugar from a cupboard above the sink. “It’s not a repeat prescription and I don’t have the appointment scheduled till then.”

“But you agreed to look after the dogs anyways…” Jeno trails off, looking around in disbelief, just in case the room has drastically changed appearance since his last glance. It hasn’t. No less than seven dogs look at him, various sizes and patterns and colours, sitting on the floor or standing on chairs, one lying across the windowsill and looking like it would quite enjoy murdering Jeno. If dogs could laugh, they would be laughing. And this is just the dogs in the kitchen — Jeno cannot imagine how many dogs are in the whole house. “Despite having no allergy meds and not getting them till Monday?”

Jaemin purses his lips sulkily. “It sounds stupid when you put it like that.”

“Because it is stupid!” Jeno’s aghast. Donghyuck likes to call him the dad friend and Jeno shakes that title off normally but he cannot today. And everyone knows Jaemin’s only the mum friend when it’s about anyone who’s not himself. “Jaemin Na I cannot believe you. Oh my God. You’re going to die. If this was me with cats, you’d slaughter me.”

“I won’t die,” Jaemin shifts but he even he looks unsure, stubbornly trying to ignore the gravity of the situation but really unable to, vividly aware of the tears streaming down his cheeks and the fact yes, he will probably die. Or maybe, only slightly less drastically, need an unpleasant trip to the hospital. “I didn’t realise I had run out of meds until I’d already agreed to looking after them. And I didn’t think my allergies would get this bad so quickly.”

“Well,” Jeno swallows and ignores the pounding in his heart. There’s a puppy stood in the doorway, small and the same dirty blonde colour as Jisung’s hair and it’s staring at him with the same judgemental eyes Jisung would be looking at Jeno with, if he was here right now. “I guess I shall just have to do it for you.”

Jaemin blinks. And then again. One more blink for good luck. He has incredibly thick long lashes, literally something from a fairy tale. “Jeno. Jeno. You hate dogs.”

“Yes.” Jeno can’t say anything else. It’s a fact of the universe — as much as Jaemin loves dogs, enough to agree to look after a whole house full despite being allergic, Jeno hates them. Cannot stand them. Even now, stood with them all watching him from across the room — Jeno is uncomfortable. Out of place. He was not made for situations like these. “But you cannot actually look after them for three days with no meds. I’m not taking you to the emergency room Jen.”

Sadly, being friends with Jaemin means he often finds himself in situations like these. More so than not the situations tend to be caused by Jeno’s own doing but that is a whole other conversation for a different day. There is something very satisfying in knowing you have the power to procrastination your emotional introspection and the harrowing breakdowns that shall emerge because of it. There’s a box hidden in Jeno’s head and he happily packs all his feelings for Jaemin inside of it.

“You hate dogs and you can’t — you can’t look after them for me! I didn’t think it my allergies would be this bad so quickly,” Jaemin sniffs. “I’ll just have to cancel or something.” He looks upset at his last sentence and Jeno knows why, knows how much Jaemin strives to do good and how he hates letting people down. And how cancelling last minute on someone is a shitty thing to do and that it will haunt Jaemin for months upon months to come.

“Jaem,” Jeno soothes. His heart is still pounding but the judgemental Jisung puppy has turned around to face the wall and he’s going to take that as a sign. “You can help me right — tell me what to do? And we have other friends I can rope in, it’s not like I’ll be in this house alone the whole time. Just until you can have that appointment and can get your prescription.”

“Jeno I can’t ask you to do this though.”

“I’m offering.” Jeno knows this is a stupid idea. The stupidest idea in a long historical list of stupid ideas that he’s had but Jaemin looks so hopeful and his eyes are streaming with tears which, true, is mildly pitiful but he still manages to be the prettiest person Jeno’s ever known and Jeno is powerless to the emotions that Jaemin and his glassy eyes and wet lips put him through. “It will be fine.”

“You’re stupid,” Donghyuck jeers, lounging across the settee in front of Jeno. His feet are in the air, Katy Perry style but slightly less romantic due to shockingly bright orange socks and lack of clouds. And a lack of nudity. “I cannot believe you’ve done this to yourself Jeno. There’s a lot of things you do that I really can’t believe but this, this takes the cake.”

Jeno looks up at Donghyuck, and then down at the dog at his feet. It’s small and grey, he’s never seen it before. “I’m not scared of dogs. The cake?” He adds for question, momentarily confused.

“That cake,” Donghyuck agrees, chronically unhelpful. “And no,” he continues, blindly reaching for his tea. “But you hate them. And now you’re looking after a house of seven of them for Jaemin — who coincidentally is the guy you’ve been crushing on for about five months. Or maybe that’s not a coincidence.”

Jeno says nothing but he doesn't need to — the blush flooding his face does all the speaking for him. He curses his genetics a lot, regularly.

Donghyuck clicks his tongue. "Jeno we really need to get you better flirting techniques."

Jeno would do anything for Jaemin. Therein lies the problem. Or it wouldn’t be a problem if Jeno actually ever managed to use his brain but an occurrence like that has happened precisely never so, he’s in a bit of a situation. As always.

“We’re best friends.” Jeno squirms. “Jaemin and me.”

“So, I’m the wallpaper then?” Donghyuck quips, rolling his eyes. “Oh, it’s fine, I’ve got Injun as my best friend anyways.”

“You’re my best friend too! And you and Renjun are dating...” Jeno trails off as Donghyuck raises an eyebrow. “Oh.”

“Oh.” Donghyuck mimics perfectly, leaning forwards to put his empty mug on the table. How he can drink while lying on his stomach and not choke, Jeno does not understand. One of life’s many mysteries. If anyone should be able to do it, however, Jeno would have picked Donghyuck. He’s Jeno’s best friend — he really doesn’t believe in ranking them but Donghyuck and Jeno are both aware that the former comes under Jaemin in any hypothetical ranking — and also uncannily good at everything. He’s also blunt, and far too optimistic, as he proves with his next words:

“You could be dating Jaemin you know.”

Jeno, bravely, pretends not to hear him, pushing his socked toes through the rug under his feet. Further exploration of the house has shown that it’s distinct style continues through every room, everything in whites and browns with varying shades of green. The shag rug in the middle of the living room is long and thick and gorgeous and bursting full of dog hair.

Donghyuck huffs, unimpressed but doesn’t push anymore. It’s become somewhat of a biweekly occurrence, Donghyuck and Renjun and Mark hounding Jeno about his crush on Jaemin. He calls it a crush because that’s all it is. Never mind the fact Jeno and Jaemin have been best friends since they were sixteen, and that Jeno’s had these feelings for Jaemin far longer than the five months Donghyuck is aware of.

Jeno’s not in real love, because that would be something frantic. Jeno is happy being single and unattached. He adores Jaemin and would do anything for him, but that is already the reality of their relationship — see current case in point. The long list of past points that trail Jeno through everything and gift him the title of ‘probably did not put enough thought into this situation’. Mark likes to call them an old married couple and refer to one of them as ‘the other’ when they’re not together in a room.

They are like a married couple in the sense they are comfortable with each other. Used to each other. Would pretty much do anything for the other. Not because they’re in love. 50% of marriages in America end in divorce anyways. Jaemin does not have any feelings towards Jeno, and what Jeno has is just a crush.

“Just a crush.” He repeats to Donghyuck, smiling forcefully. He stands up before his friend can respond, taking their mugs from the table to go rinse them in the kitchen. Renjun had introduced Jeno to herbal teas, gifting him several to make up for the fact he stole all Jeno’s coffee beans and seemed to have no intention of returning them. Jeno misses making real coffee but he has a jar of instant stuff under his sink that Renjun didn’t find, so he’s not doing too badly. The herb teas, however, unwillingly became a slight addiction. There is the added bonus they can stain the mugs if you don’t wash them fast enough.

Reducing his coffee intake was probably a good idea because even though he wasn’t anywhere as badly dependant as Jaemin, caffeine spikes Jeno’s anxiety. Quite a lot. Enough to give him jittery hands and remove what little thought he did have before making drastic decisions. That hasn’t stopped him from drinking it though — really, he’s digging his own grave.

“Jeno,” Donghyuck speaks softly. He has a beautiful voice, part of the choir at their university. Technically he knew Jaemin first, the two meeting in some mandatory orientation program, but wherever Jaemin went, Jeno did not take long to follow.

Jaemin ranks above everybody in Jeno’s life, that’s just how the world works. Donghyuck though, is so incredibly special to Jeno. He’s also the person who annoys Jeno the most in the world.

Jeno runs the mug under the tap instead of answering, scrubbing with more vigour that probably advisable, the dog patterns on it are already faded and cracked. Donghyuck follows, leaning against Jeno’s back, propping his chin on his shoulder. “I love you; you know. We all do. Things will be okay.”

Jeno rinses the mug, humming in response. If he opens his mouth his voice will shake. His mum always used to tell him he was a soft boy, that he carries his heart on his sleeve. More than his constantly blushing ears, Jeno hates it.

Donghyuck speaks against Jeno’s neck. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” Jeno replies before he can think, letting Donghyuck hear his upset in all its shaking glory. He stiffens, hanging the mugs in the draining rack before turning to face Donghyuck. “I’m not upset.”

“It’s okay if you are though,” Donghyuck says softly. Everything about him is so soft — grey, fluffy hair and round, smooth cheeks and bright, blackberry eyes. Renjun likes to draw these little caricatures of him, and honestly Donghyuck was made for an animation. Jeno, taller than Donghyuck but not tall, broader than Donghyuck but not broad, feels like an unappealing amorphous blob when he’s with him.

He hasn’t told of Hyuck of course but being his friends with him can get hard. Jeno looks in the mirror at the bags under his eyes, and his roots that needs a re-dye and the fat three pimples on his nose bridge and thinks about what it would be like to sink through the floor.

What is harder, however, is none of that is fault of Donghyuck. He just exists, not perfect but so easily perceivable and Jeno loves him and Jeno compares himself to him more than any friend should. It’s easier when Donghyuck is fired up, running amok and taking great joy in any and all mischief he can create.

But Donghyuck is hugging him now, is warm and comforting and just so lovely and it’s pathetic but Jeno cannot help but feel jealous.

He pulls away. Donghyuck lets his arms drop to his side, watching Jeno carefully. Jeno ignores Donghyuck’s eyes, as he ignores so many things, spinning to the counter so he can pull the dog food down. That’s why he asked Donghyuck round after shoving Jaemin out — before his allergies got even worse.

Donghyuck catches him around his wrist.

“Jeno.” He says and his voice is one of thousands and Jeno’s stupid heart has never felt so heavy.

“I’m in love with Jaemin,” he says simply. Because that’s what it is — simple.

He loves Jaemin how one loves the air in spring, when you’ve been inside all winter and the sun has finally started to warm up the mornings, and you open the door and breath in, and you just feel good. Or when you take a bath and have nothing to do for hours, so you can just put your head under the water and close your eyes and not have to worry about anything. Or when you wake up feeling, the pillow cool underneath your head. When Jaemin hugs him, holds him, combs his fingers through his hair. When they cook together, in the tiny kitchen in Mark and Jeno’s flat and Jaemin always complains but then not let Jeno help with the dishes. His love for Jaemin is not frantic but oh man does it exist.

He loves Jaemin. Keeping secrets has never been Jeno’s forte but he’s managed to keep his feelings for Jaemin on the downlow but somehow, suddenly they’re a geyser. Jeno’s not sure if it’s the dogs or how Jaemin felt in his lap earlier, or Donghyuck and his stupid blackberry eyes and devastatingly perfect relationship with Renjun but — Jeno cannot keep it in anymore, and he can’t keep lying to himself either.

“I’m in love with him,” he repeats, voice shaking still.

Jaemin had had a crush on Donghyuck, once. He’d told Jeno about it not too soon after they’d met Donghyuck and although Jeno’s pretty sure Jaemin doesn’t have that crush anymore that doesn’t subtract from the fact Jeno’s nothing like Donghyuck at all.

“Jeno,” Donghyuck grabs Jeno’s hand as he begins to cry, just a little. Heart hanging right off the end of his sleeve.

“I hate this,” Jeno chokes and he’s talking about the tears themselves and his feelings for Jaemin and the fact he agreed to look after a house full of dogs when he hates dogs and how anthropology work has just been piling up on him and everything has been so very much lately. Donghyuck pulls him in his arms, clinging to him and making soothing noises while they sit on the floor of a kitchen that belongs to a woman Jeno doesn’t even know, and Jeno cries about pretty much everything in his life.

Tears are a catharsis but mostly, Jeno feels pitiful. A small little bug, ripe for squishing.

Donghyuck looks upset when Jeno tells him this, after enquiring to how he was feeling. “Jen, I don’t think it’s fair that you’re doing Jaemin’s job for him.”

“I said I was okay with it,” Jeno closes his eyes. “I’m not — I’m not crying because of the dogs.”

“Are you sure?” Donghyuck teases, and a jolt of normalcy is returned.

“It has been a long week,” Jeno explains carefully. “I promise I’m alright.”

Donghyuck watches him carefully before standing, pulling them both off the floor. He helps Jeno feed the dogs, showing him what to do, putting his books back in his bag.

“I can stay over if you want me too?”

A part of Jeno wants to say yes but there’s a reason why it’s Jeno looking after the dogs, and not Donghyuck. “You’re visiting Renjun’s parents tomorrow. You should go home and sleep early, it’s a long drive.”

“But I can stay if you need me,” Donghyuck promises.

Jeno shakes his head. “I know how to feed the dogs now. I’ve had a cry. I told you about my — I came clean about my feelings for Jaemin. Not that you didn’t already know them. I’m okay. It’s okay.”

“If you’re sure,” Donghyuck says carefully, pulling Jeno into another hug. “I am so proud of you, you know. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Jeno replies into Donghyuck’s hair. He kisses his forehead. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Donghyuck wiggles his eyebrows, throwing his jacket over his shoulder. “Text me! Or WeChat or whatever. Keep me updated.” He pauses on the threshold, looking at Jeno with warm eyes. “It will be okay Jeno. Things will work out.”

And then Jeno’s alone with a house full of dogs again.

He talks to Jaemin that night.

“Hi Jen.” Jaemin’s face is blurry through the phone screen, and Jeno lying on his side with his eyes half closed can’t see Jaemin properly, but his smile is unmistakable. A bolt of fondness strikes straight through Jeno, bullseye to the heart.

“Jeno!” Jaemin does a little cheer, waving his hands about. The phone drops and the screen turns black before Jaemin picks it up again with a sheepish smile. “Oops.”

“You were that excited to see me?” Jeno teases but Jaemin’s answer is almost uncomfortably earnest.

“I always am.”

Jeno’s glad for the fact it’s night, that they’re both in their beds in the dark, because he can feel his ears burning. He should be used to this but ever since admitting his feelings to Donghyuck, a can of worms in his mind has been opened. A tin can covered with yellow police grade hazard tape and ‘do not enter’ warnings that he was doing a really good job of ignoring before he verbally acknowledged it. Now, his feelings for Jaemin are everywhere — spilt out his pockets, exhaled with his breaths, on his tongue between every sentence.

“How has your first evening been?” Jaemin continues. “Are you coping okay?”

“Of course, I am,” Jeno huffs and takes a suspicious glance at the bedroom door. “The dogs have been fed, Hyuck came round to help me with that, and then I changed the puppy’s litter tray like you told me — one of them kicked newspaper absolutely everywhere.”

Jaemin sounds pleased. “You did it though! I’m glad it was okay…have you changed their water?”

“Yes Jaemin.” Jeno yawns, rubbing his eyes. “I got everything on the list you wrote me. Checked them off in pink because I couldn’t find a normal biro.”

“Because you insist on writing all your notes in fluorescent gel pens.”

“Studygram has got nothing on me.” Jeno replies primly, turning over to look at the table he’d dumped his university work. He can only make out the shadowy shapes of his books and pencil case, his laptop folded for the night. “I can’t believe your aunt owns a dog house. Do you think it’s weird I’m in her spare room?”

“Shelter,” Jaemin corrects patiently. “And no. I told her that I wouldn’t be able to come till Monday — she’s okay with it. She trusts you.”

“She trusts me?” Jeno laughs, disbelievingly. “I guess you didn’t tell her I hate dogs then?”

“You just don’t know dogs,” Jaemin says sternly. “You cannot hate them really or you never would have agreed to do this. And you’re looking after them properly.”

“Yes, because I’m not heartless.”

“Jeno.” Jaemin says carefully. “You’re not heartless in the slightest — I get that dogs make you uncomfortable but you’re doing way more than common decency. Heejin is so grateful for you—”

Heejin, the owner of the dog house. Shelter. Jaemin’s aunt. Of course, Jaemin thinks he’s doing it for her.

“—and I’m grateful too,” Jaemin continues. “Really. And wouldn’t have agreed with you doing it if I didn’t trust you.”

“Also, because you would have actually died Min. There are literally about seventy dogs in this house.”

“Nine,” Jaemin corrects, amusedly. “There are only nine.”

“Only nine.” Jeno mimics, raising his voice. “Only nine! Hmm, let me think of a good number of dogs to fit in this two-storey house! That’s right, nine!”

“Jeno,” Jaemin giggles. Jeno’s heart melts, liquid butterscotch dripping out his chest, running through between the gaps through ribs and fingers. Somewhere, an angel has been born. In this exact moment, ultimate nirvana has been reached — that’s the true power of Jaemin Na.

Jeno sighs, pushing his head into the pillow and snuggling down. The dark makes him drowsy, in the pixelated phone screen it looks like Jaemin’s feeling the same. “You really need to get a new phone you know,” he offers. He thinks if he announces anything that will make Jaemin laugh he surely will perish.

“I know,” Jaemin huffs. “But there are so many things I need to do. It’s really not on the top of my to-do list.”

“But imagine how many games you’d be able to play with it,” Jeno goads.

Jaemin smiles, eyes scrunching. “I’ve still got Injunnie’s iPad. And besides, I really need to focus on this term. I decided that games would be my reward for getting through it.”

“You’re growing up then,” Jeno says softly. A year ago, Jaemin would not have done this. Would have played games in spite of his grades and load of university work — and as a forensic economics student, he has a large, barely manageable load.

“We’re twenty now,” Jaemin points out. “It doesn’t even feel real, really. Proper adults. I still feel like I’m sixteen half the time.”

“You still act like it.”

Jaemin nods, considering. “Sixteen was a good time. That’s when I met you Jen.”

Jeno’s heart drips further, all over the floor. “See I knew you loved me” He teases, desperately trying to bring back a sense of normalcy.

Jaemin doesn’t go along with it, instead propping himself up on his elbow so he can peer at Jeno through his phone screen properly. “I do love you. I know I make it sound like I’m joking a lot and I mess around but of course I love you Jeno. How the hell could I not? Even if you meant that as meant that as a joke. I don’t want you to doubt my feelings — your importance to me. Not ever, ever.”

Jeno swallows. Suddenly he’s lost all ability to respond. Being the soppy friend is Jaemin’s job, true, but lately he’s only been speaking to Jeno like this so earnestly when he’s sick, or drunk.

They’ve always had an emotional bond. A married couple, yes. But growing up is hard and showing each other that love — Jeno can remember in secondary school, Jaemin gifting him flowers after a dance performance and several classmates laughing at them.

At the time, the action had been completely platonic but that hadn’t mattered to those laughing. Showing emotion as boys, especially to other boys, was something Jeno had always felt scrutinised for. Maybe that’s why Jaemin acts so confident now, so quick to kiss his friend’s cheeks and tease them and call them pet names. Being friends with Donghyuck helped with that, the other so confident and self-assured in all of his love languages and skinship.

Jeno shows his love in other ways. He’s gentle, a good listener. Quick to help with a task, to do something he knows is needed doing. He has a kind of unfailing patience, a steady measured way in which he views the world. He’s not as vocal with his feelings as Jaemin but that’s okay — that’s why they measure each other out perfectly.

Even though Jeno needs to stop putting them together in his head. It does nothing to stop the feelings he has for Jaemin, quite the opposite.

Jeno breaths in, deeply through his nose. A trait Jaemin’s always teased him for but through the screen he’s just watching Jeno, the corners of his lips quirked and eyes stupidly sparkly. There was this meme going around twitter, comparing people’s eyes to tapioca and the realisation that yes, those are Jaemin’s eyes is a painfully sweet arrow right through Jeno’s squishy, squashy heart.

“I could never doubt you,” he confesses, quietly. It’s such a good thing that it’s night time, that they’re already in bed, because these are not words that are meant for the light. Not when Jeno means so, so much more with them than Jaemin could ever realise. “Jaeminnie — you better fucking know how much you mean to me. I can’t doubt you; I love you so much.”

“I love you too Jen,” Jaemin replies, sweet as sugar and just as unknowing as ever. “Thank you for doing this for me — for always being here for me. You’re my best friend.”

Oh, and those words hurt. The friendzone is concept and a stupid place to be, especially when the person putting you in it doesn’t even realise what they’re doing. Being friends with Jaemin, it’s all Jeno could ever hope for and he’s so, so thankful to know that Jaemin sees him as such — but sometimes it hurts that it’s not anything more.

“You should sleep,” Jeno offers. “And I need to too.”

Jaemin makes a noise of acknowledgement. “Sleep well.”

Jeno echoes him and ends the call, turning his phone off. And now he’s lying in the guest bed of someone he doesn’t even know, staring at the ceiling while his heart pines.

Unrequited love is not as dramatic and harrowing and terrible as the movies show it being. Sometimes it just sucks.

Jeno always wakes up early. That’s been a trait of his for years now. There were times in school, having sleepovers with Elisa or Phil or Hyunjin, whoever was his friend at that moment. They always would be in disbelief when they’d wake to find Jeno had already been up for three hours and completed any chores or homework for the day. Even when he grew older, when most teens would love to spend hours in bed, Jeno had never mastered sleeping after seven. It’s another imaginary tick in his head for why he and Jaemin are such a good match — for he never sleeps in late either, — but Jeno does his best to not think about it.

So, waking up at five thirty in the morning is nothing out of the usual. Waking up at five thirty in the morning with a dog sat on his stomach — if anyone asked Jeno would deny he screamed.

But he did, scream that is, and jump upwards. The dog jumps to the floor, disgruntled by the fact it’s bed had moved so rudely. It stares at Jeno balefully, meowing. Jeno put his hand against his pounding heart.

The door to the bedroom is just as shut as it was the night before. Sitting up and pushing the duvets back, Jeno peers over the end of the bed at the dog.

The dog peers back. Jeno recognises it as the Jisung puppy from the day before, small and blonde and looking unimpressed as ever.

“How did you get in here?” He mutters. Unsurprisingly, the dog doesn’t respond. Jeno pushes himself of the bed, raking a hand through his hair. The dog winds itself around his ankles, whimpering pitifully before deciding to start licking his ankles.

Jeno jumps back on the bed, nursing his ankle. “I don’t like you,” he informs it. It doesn’t look too bothered by that statement, just considers to walk around the room like it owns the place. Which technically — that dog does have more right to the room than Jeno. Jeno purses his lips, examining his ankle which is wet — gross — but okay.

 _‘How do I know if I have rabies?’_ He sends to Jaemin, for moral support, and Renjun, for actual knowledge, after fishing his phone off the bedside table.

Then, shunting off the boxers he slept in and pulling on a new pair and a jumper that he’s never worn in this house but somehow is still coated in dog hair, he slips said phone in his jean pocket.

A glance at the mirror just highlights the complete disarray of his hair but it’s far too early to bother doing anything about that so, putting on a pair of turquoise daisy covered socks — a gift from Mark, who apparently is their fashion guru? — he is ready to leave the room.

The dog follows him to the door, chirping. What Jeno presumed as a power box or something is apparently a dog flap as it pushes against it, disappearing from the room. Jeno’s taken aback because, yes, of course a woman with twelve dogs puts dog doors in the human doors for them. Of course.

Jaemin’s aunt is living Jaemin’s dream life. Jeno thinks of texting Jaemin this too, but then Jaemin is already probably very aware of it. Jaemin. They spoke for two hours on the phone last night and that’s more than a little ridiculous. Jeno doesn’t even room with Jaemin but he misses him. His poor, idiot heart.

It’s a brief decision that making porridge will be a temporary plaster for it. In the kitchen he’s greeted with six other dogs, none of them Jeno can certainly say he’s seen before. They gather around him as he stands at the stove, stirring distractedly.

It’s oat porridge because Jeno doesn’t make a habit of bringing japonica rice in his overnight bag with him and, after sprinkling with cinnamon and salt, it’s rather delicious. He’s not an incredible cook but he’s not bad by a long shot, not after being friends with Jaemin for so long who made it his personal mission to teach Jeno as much as he could.

Then Jeno faces his nemeses. Heejin had left instructions that it was okay to feed them outside, if it’s a nice day, and so Jeno does. As soon as he begins opening tins more dogs appear, flooding around him, called by some magical tin can opening sense. Or maybe they heard it. Or dogs have good noses, right? Jeno’s knowledge of dogs is actually abysmal but there is a high chance they could have smelt it.

He is surprised to see how they stand before specific dishes, not trying to eat the other’s food. ‘ _If you were a dog’_ he texts Jaemin ‘ _you would not survive! They’re all just stood at their own bowls eating their own food. Not even trying to sneak any of the others.’_ He attaches a slightly blurry photo.

Jaemin replies within half an hour which is weird for Jaemin, who does not wake up before noon if he can help it and absolutely never replies to texts in the same day they’re sent, let alone the hour.

 _‘RABIES??????’_ is the first message Jeno gets, followed by ‘ _thyre good dogs!! of course they dont sneak eachothers food :((((’_

‘ _why are you up so early?’_ Jeno responds, lightning fast. Or, maybe minutely slower. By five minutes. So, he was searching the kitchen for coffee, sue him. But sure, Jaemin wakes up early in the mornings but never usually this early.

 _‘i was worried abt u!’_ Jaemin explains. _‘i wanted to make sure ur okay,,, which? rabies????? huh can u explain please x’_

The kiss makes Jeno feel very proud and sad all at once which is dumb, because Jaemin’s signed his messages with kisses for as long as Jeno’s known him. He debates whether the consequences would be positive or negative if Jeno allows himself to entertain Jaemin’s worry as if it was from a romantic standpoint but —

Jeno’s twenty now. Or almost. It doesn’t matter than Jisung keeps telling him people don’t become real adults till they’re twenty-five because Jeno’s old enough to know he shouldn’t be imagining fantasies.

_‘the one that looks like Jisung bit me. For NO reason AT ALL ;;; -;;;’_

Jaemin’s response comes just as quickly as his others, like he’s waiting for Jeno’s messages or something. ‘ _they could prbly sense ur dislike. jisung lookalike??? i haven’t met him yet omg :o please send photos! please :oo’_

The time it takes Jeno to stand up and go photograph the Jisung lookalike dog is embarrassingly short.

Jeno goes back to campus in the afternoon — he has books he needs to return to the University’s library and other books he needs to check out. There he meets Yeeun and Elkie, two of the closest friends he doesn’t share directly with Jaemin. They follow him back to his dorm, and of course they knew about Jeno becoming a dog sitter.

Jeno can’t remember meeting Jaemin. He knows roughly when it was — at school — and how it was — because of school — but their first meeting remains forgotten, buried under years of other memories.

That doesn’t mean Jaemin isn’t a huge part of his memories though. In fact, Jeno would quite happily allocate over half his short-term memory to Jaemin Na. To put things mildly, he thinks about him all the time. All the time. It’s become something of a joke to all his friends.

Yeeun likes to quote statistics she found on Instagram at him — _did you know the average male thinks about masturbation once every ten minutes?_ — and it’s a running joke with her and Elkie where they swap masturbation for any mention of Jeno’s name.

“You think about the boy more than your dick.” Elkie had told him, almost impressed. “Or at least on an equal level with your dick.”

“On your dick,” Yeeun interjects, grinning wickedly. She and Elkie both fall into delighted laughter.

Jeno smiles, because he's supposed to react like that, and it would upset Yeeun to know she'd upset him. But it does hurt, just a little — Jeno’s been so fragile lately. He knows he thinks about Jaemin too much, and he knows it's so obvious that he does. However, acknowledging the fault hasn't made it particularly easy to fix.

"Jeno?" Elkie continues, "that was a joke. I know you like him more than his dick."

Jeno blushes, he can feel his ears heating up. Everyone on this side of the equator knows that Jeno likes Jaemin, for all and any purpose or reason. That he's head over heels for him. It's gotten to the point lately, however, where every communication between them feels like a charge, a live wire, a lightning bolt. Something is on the horizon, and no amount of tarot reading has shown Jeno what.

He tries reading his cards again, later after Yeeun and Elkie have sprinted off to cause whatever havoc in their own dorm. Mark, not only one of Jeno’s many closest friends, and clothes buyer (Jeno’s never realised this before today but easily a quarter of his wardrobe has been provided by Mark) but also roommate, watches Jeno spread his cards with amusement.

"Will they show you something different today?"

"Hopefully," Jeno answers because he's a nice person and because Mark's not being rude, he's genuinely curious about tarot. There is something about the way he says it however, sitting on his bed and leaning over to watch Jeno, phone abandoned besides him -- Jeno feels perceived. He does not wish to be perceived at all, please and thank you.

The cards are a deck he's owned for years, familiarity has long become more important than style. He shuffles them carefully, Doja Cat playing through his headphones — it’s important to have a suitable atmosphere. The movements are quick and confident, and he splits the deck — only into two when he's reading for himself — spreading them over his bed cover.

They tend to slide on the duvet, especially when Jeno's sat on it, weighing the surface into a slope but Jeno's long learnt that it's a practical way to make him not overthink his readings — he has a time limit of a kind.

One, two, three. Fast, as neatly as he can. Two of swords, nine of pentacles, Death.

Mark makes a noise of interest from his bed, Jeno looks at him for a split second before refocusing on his cards. Two of swords, nine of pentacles, Death. "A change," he says carefully, for his or Mark's sake he's not too sure. "A change. Something new. Confidence. Hard work.”

"That's good right?" Mark asks. "You deserve things to change."

"They might not be good," Jeno says carefully.

Mark looks at him, eyes wide and open and honest. "Jen-ah. Any change would be good compared to this."

And ouch, that hurts a little. Mark kind of does have a point though.

“How do you know I’m in love with Jaemin?”

Mark startles. “I — I didn’t know you were admitting that.”

“I told Donghyuckie yesterday. But we didn’t get to talk about it really because he was too busy stopping me crying.” Jeno says the words with a kind of bitter humour because it is funny really. Jeno wants to dive head first out the window.

Mark doesn’t look like he finds it funny. His face crumples slightly, expression hurt like it’s him who was crying all over Donghyuck.

Jeno’s on his way back to Jaemin’s aunt house when Renjun rings him. Jeno does not like answering the phone on bus but it’s Renjun, so he answers anyways, turning his airpods in and speaking quietly as he can, the phone right against his mouth.

“I know you’re missing your boyfriend,” Renjun greets, “but you didn’t need to get my attention this drastically.”

“Drastically?” Jeno plays dumb. One of his many talents. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh yeah,” Renjun nods. “Spamming me with messages about rabies is something you do when Jaemin’s with you to I guess.”

“Injun,” Jeno sulks. Renjun’s not really exaggerating, Jeno either forgets about his phone for years or uses it to send a thousand messages in a minute. He did ask Renjun about rabies further, that morning, after Renjun didn’t reply before remembering that Renhyuck were visiting Renjun’s parents and he probably had a good reason for not replying. After that, Jeno clarified he was okay and probably didn’t actually have rabies.

“Jeno,” Renjun repeats. They’re at standstill.

As always, Jeno cracks first. “You know — you know that thing?”

“That thing?” Renjun echoes. It’s only a voice call but Jeno can visualise how Renjun straightens his spine, tilting his head. Dog mannerisms, he realises dolefully. Why do all his friends act like dogs? “Jeno you might have to give me more context than that.”

Jeno nods and then remembers Renjun can’t see him. “Yes.”

Renjun waits.

“I guess,” Jeno starts again, picking at his nails. He has a dreadful habit of chewing upon them and absolutely zero self-control. “I meant like — the thing. I have. For Jaemin.”

“That you’re head over heels in love with him?” Renjun asks. His bluntness endears Jeno normally but sometimes it just makes him wish he had friends who put up with his bullshit a little more often.

“…Am I that obvious?”

“Jeno,” Renjun sighs. “I don’t want to sound rude but even a rock could see your feelings for Jaemin.”

“But not Jaemin, right,” Jeno replies. He wishes his phone had a cord, like the girls in the nineties films. If he made his emotional hurt a little more aesthetically pleasing maybe it would hurt less. He doesn’t even have a headphone cord — fuck airpods.

“Jeno,” Renjun says softly. He and Donghyuck are perfectly matched like that, both of them can be so terrible but both of them are so good.

And Jeno waits, for Renjun to point out Jaemin’s obliviousness — and he’s not sure if it’s for better or worse that Jaemin hasn’t realised Jeno’s big fat crush on him when Renjun, quite literally, drops a bomb.

“Jeno, he knows.”

The rest of the day progresses with that sad sort of ache. Jeno returns to Jaemin’s aunt house and tries to entertain the dogs while simultaneously staying out of their way.

He makes himself a sad dinner of spaghetti — it's not really sad, even when emotionally unavailable Jeno is still not a bad cook, however he's sad and the food picks up on his mood — and mopes around a bit more before deciding to get an early night.

Jeno’s not sure why he feels so down but he does. Jaemin’s not spoken to him all day, not since those texts from the morning and it hurts more than Jeno wants to admit.

The fact Jaemin's done nothing about the situation, knowing Jeno has feelings for him, as big as a rejection as Jeno could take without crying (that’s a lie, he does cry). It's not fair to Jeno, hearing it from Renjun of all people, and it's not fair for Jaemin that Renjun told him. Jeno swiftly decides Renjun is in his bad books and mutes all conversations with him - their texts, WeChat, twitter and Instagram.

He wakes in the morning to find Jisung lookalike dog on his stomach again, although it doesn't lick him this time. Blearily he showers and dresses and feeds the dogs and feeds himself and opens his textbooks and hears a ring at the door and he —

A ring at the door. If doorbells could sound irritated, it would be.

Cautiously he opens it.

"Jeno Lee!" Donghyuck puts his foot between the door and the frame, as if Jeno was about to shut it. And then Jeno see's Renjun behind Donghyuck and yeah, his actions make more sense.

"I'm not in today," Jeno replies promptly because he doesn't have the energy to argue with Renjun and Donghyuck will, undoubtedly, take his side.

"Jeno," Donghyuck hisses, pushing the door in. Jeno, wincing, allows the couple to enter the house, albeit regretfully.

Renjun looks around, lost but Donghyuck's confident as he drags the two of them to the kitchen. "Sit down," he instructs, pulling out an island stool for Jeno while he gives Renjun a push. "We need to talk. This is an intervention."

"An intervention?" Renjun looks pale. "Hyuck please—"

"—zip it," Donghyuck interrupts. "You two need to talk some things over.

"Donghyuck," Jeno says tiredly because he does not want to have this conversation and clearly Renjun doesn't either.

“Renjun,” Donghyuck says, glaring at his boyfriend.

Renjun looks abashed. “Jeno. Last night I made a mistake.”

“You did, that wasn’t your thing to tell,” Jeno frowns. Being angry for Jaemin has always, always been easier than being angry for himself. “Jaemin was ignoring it for a reason and — and he didn’t want me to know that he knew! So, you really shouldn’t have said anything because that wasn’t fair at all.”

“Jeno,” Renjun frowns. He has wide, sad eyes. Still looks like a puppy. “Jen, no. Please you’re misunderstanding.”

“What am I misunderstanding?” Jeno’s voice shakes. Donghyuck is stood in the doorway, stopping either of them leaving the room and they have a perfect relationship yes, and Jeno loves them but right now he rather feels like yelling. Or crying. Mostly crying.

“I didn’t mean Jaemin was ignoring you,” Renjun tries. His mouth is twisted, sadly. “I shouldn’t — this isn’t my place to be saying things Jen. These aren’t my words to tell and I messed up yesterday, I shouldn’t have said that to you—”

“—Because Jaemin told you that in privacy?” Jeno cannot tell if he meant that to be an accusation or a question. His head is spinning a little.

“Because it’s not true!” Renjun shouts. He gulps when he realises just how loud he was, lowering his hands which had risen with his voice. “It’s not true Jen, not how you took it.”

“How is it true then?” Jeno demands.

A throat clears behind Jeno. He spins around to see Jaemin, stood in the doorway with Renjun, chin quivering. “I think we need to talk.”

They leave the house, pronto. Jaemin had barely been in there for two minutes before his allergies started acting up again.

“They’re really not this bad normally,” he explains, pulling Jeno to sit on the bench in the front garden with him. “I guess it’s the amount of dog in there — all concentrated.”

“And you have no meds,” Jeno points out quietly.

“Yes,” Jaemin nods. “Yes, and you were right that it was dumb for me to agree to look after the house without checking I had meds. Um, I’m sorry for worrying you. But I do have an appointment tomorrow.”

“So, I’ll go then?” Jeno asks softly. It is easier to look at the ground than Jaemin.

Jaemin makes a wounded noise. “I’m — only if you want. But yes if you want! I haven’t been fair with you.”

“You could have told me,” Jeno looks up and oh yeah, he’s crying. “That you knew how I felt about you.”

“I wasn’t ready,” Jaemin says honestly. His eyes are sad and saddled with bags. “I knew that there was something you felt for me, or I guessed I guess because you didn’t actually tell me that. But I — Jeno we’ve been friends for so long and I never stopped to consider that you could feel anyway like I do.”

Jeno freezes. “What?”

Jaemin flushes. “I had a crush on you for a while — an embarrassingly long while. And I was getting over it and then you started acting different with me and I realised that maybe, maybe you felt the same. And I didn’t know how to act.”

If Jeno’s heart moves any faster, it will spring out of his chest. He’s not really sure he can hear Jaemin properly.

“I love you,” Jaemin says softly. “You are my best friend but you’re far more than that too. I didn’t know how to tell you, or how to act and I just — I was thinking way too much about it. I wasn’t even sure you did feel the same way, not till Hyuck rang me today.”

“What did Hyuck say?”

“He said,” Jaemin gulps, adam’s apple bobbing. “That I wasn’t treating you fairly. And that I needed to tell you about my feelings. And also, that Renjun had maybe accidentally upset you.”

“He did upset me,” Jeno frowns. “He shouldn’t have spoken for you like that—”

“—Jeno.” Jaemin interrupts. His face is bright and caring and lovely. “You can be angry for me, but I wish you would do the same for yourself. Renjun’s words hurt you, you’re allowed to be upset about it. And my actions! I ignored you really, all yesterday because I was too busy being a coward about my own feelings and Friday night when I said all that stuff while facetiming you — I was sure you’d found me out.”

“Well I hadn’t,” Jeno swallows. Tries to smile — his lips keep curving out of his control. “I was freaking out about what I had said and then — when you didn’t talk to me so much on Saturday I thought you’d realised my feelings and then I did a reading later and the cards were all saying there was a hard decision to make, a change to come and—”

“—Jeno,” Jaemin says gently. His eyes are very earnest and it’s only now, looking at him properly, does Jeno realise he’s wearing a cropped jumper. “I think we both have things we need to work on. Communication for one. But I guess your cards meant a good change?”

“Did they?” Jeno glances from Jaemin’s midriff to his face and then, back to his midriff. Just for luck.

“I hope so,” Jaemin bites his lip. “Can I kiss you?”

And all the butterscotch left in Jeno’s heart evaporates, and over a thousand angels get their wings and Renjun and Donghyuck who are being nosey and watching them out the front door cheer. But Jeno can’t focus on them, can’t focus on anything but Jaemin who’s so warm and gorgeous and wonderful.

“Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> wham bam thank you mam! i hope u liked this mess ~  
> im sure everyone knows who i am uh fhdhdhdh


End file.
